A MINING union reacted with fury yesterday after Sunderland picked controversial Paolo Di Canio to fill the vacant hotseat at the Premier League club.

A union banner will be removed from the club’s stadium in protest at the appointment of the ex-Celtic player.

Di Canio has been slammed for his right-wing views and a Hitler-style salute he gave to Lazio fans during his playing career.

The club’s American owner Ellis Short ignited the row when he appointed the Italian after former Celtic boss Martin O’Neill was sacked on Saturday night.

NUM are taking banner from Sunderland's Stadium of Light after the appointment of Paolo Di Canio

Davey Hopper, General Secretary of the NUM in Durham, and a former secretary at Monkwearmouth pit – on which Sunderland’s Stadium of Light is built – said the fury of his members had sparked the move.

He said: “We are writing to the club asking for the return of the banner unless Di Canio says he is not a fascist. Otherwise his appointment will besmirch the memory of the miners who lost their lives in the fight against fascism in World War II.